Patching or other interconnect systems are commonly used in communication networks in order to provide flexibility in implementing logical communication links. One example of a patching or interconnect system is a patch panel. A patch panel typically includes a panel in which a plurality of ports are formed or otherwise housed. Each port includes a “front” connector (or other attachment mechanism) and a “rear” connector (or other attachment mechanism such as a punch-down block or permanently attached optical fiber). The port is configured to communicatively couple any cable attached to the front connector of that port to any cable that is attached to the rear of that port. Other patching systems are implemented in similar ways.
Many types of physical layer management (PLM) systems have been developed in order to automatically keep track of which cables are attached to which ports of a patching system. In one type of system, each connector that is attached to a front connector of a patch panel has a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag attached to it. An RFID reader can then be used to wirelessly read an identifier from each front connector's RFID tag in order to keep track of what connectors and cables are attached to the front connectors of the patch panel. Typically, an RFID reader is integrated into the patch panel in order to read such front RFID tags. However, such systems typically do not include any mechanism to automatically track the rear connectors or cables.
This type of conventional RFID PLM system is typically used within an enterprise or a central office environment. As a result, such RFID PLM systems typically have convenient access to power for the active components of the RFID PLM. Also, such enterprise or central office environments typically have convenient access to communication lines that can be used for “out-of-band” PLM communication purposes. However, this is not always the case in the outside plant of a telecommunication network, where access to power and communication lines that can be used for PLM purposes is typically an issue. Consequently, such RFID PLM systems have not typically been used in the outside plant.